


Fireworks

by IEscapedTheLoop



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Bad at tagging..., Cell Doesn’t Know How To Feel, Dark Topics Later On, Dragon Ball FighterZ - Freeform, Fist Fights, Gen, Goku Black Makes an Appearance...Eventually, Real world, Slow Burn, not a retelling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-22 06:16:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22844587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IEscapedTheLoop/pseuds/IEscapedTheLoop
Summary: She was nothing special, just a young woman trying to piece her life back together.Yet somehow her consciousness is pulled through time and space into the bizarre world of Dragon Ball and into the body of an android that she knew all too well.Forced to partner up with the infamous Cell, the two go on a journey to restore them both to normal and face off against the menacing Android 21.But there is plenty of hurdles that stands in their way. And the sparks that flies between them sets off fireworks of emotions that neither knows how to deal with...
Relationships: Android 18/Krillin (Dragon Ball), Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Cell (Dragon Ball)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 67





	1. Establishing Contact

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody!
> 
> This story has been in my head for quite some time and now I have finally managed to compile my ideas into a hopefully decent narrative. 
> 
> It probably goes without saying that this story is not going to be a retelling of the exact same storyline from the original game, there is going to be plenty of changes moving forward. One of which you have probably already spotted if you have paid attention to the tags. But for everything else, you will just have to wait and see. 
> 
> As a side-note, I want to mention that any speech that is in italics is from the soul that is currently within the soulscape or alternatively, somebody on the outside speaking to somebody whose POV is currently inside. It sounds confusing but it hopefully makes more sense if you read it for yourself. 
> 
> For the record, this story is heavily inspired by ‘Teardrops’ by Jax_Dax with a few of my own tweaks and idea sprinkled in. 
> 
> Please enjoy your read!

Where did all of this endless droning come from? 

This monotone toneless humming that was just audible enough that it was bothering my ears.

_Did I forget to turn something off?_

The feeling of cold metal beneath my fingers.  
The sharp smell of disinfectant.  
The lack of comforting pillows and blankets. 

_None of of the sensations of home..._

Ka-thunk...Ka-thunk...   
My heartbeat kept getting louder. 

Every limb felt incredibly heavy, my head still dizzy from the abrupt fall into unconsciousness and I struggled greatly to open up my eyes.

_Where am I?_

I hear the sounds of footsteps, someone else was in the room with me. I was filled with panic, who knows what this unknown person was doing with me whilst I couldn't move?

_What is going on?_

No matter what I did, I was unable to move even an inch. I didn't even have the strength to open my eyes. The sense of helplessness was the absolute worst, to be at the complete mercy of a stranger.

_I hate this...please...let it stop..._

The machinery was getting louder, like it was charging up. A button was pressed and all of a sudden my heartbeat begun to speed up like crazy.

_What is happening to me?!_

I felt something in me ignite, like a fire that doesn't burn. It kept spreading throughout my entire body, giving me strength.

My eyes flew open and I flew up in a sitting position, desperately trying to control my breathing. All the while I was slowly realizing that I was controlling a body that was not my own.

Instead of human skin, my arms, legs and chest was covered in green spotted carapace not unlike an insect's with black patches around the lower legs and chest. The small amounts of visible skin was white like chalk.

It took all of my self-preservation, and the fact that I was still recovering my breath, to not scream out loud.

-line-

_What in all the nine hells?_

He at first thought that he was just imagining things, a result of the restlessness that tended to come with an elongated period in Hell, but his senses told him otherwise.

He truly was alive again!

The almighty Cell was back in the living world!

At first he was delightful, he could finally get his revenge once he had gotten the chance to train. He did however pretty quickly realize one big problem with his future plans.

He was unable to control his body.

No matter what he did, he wasn't able to move a single muscle. As someone who prided himself on his perfect body, it was degrading and incredibly humiliating to not be able to command it on his own.

_Wait, who is that?_

He felt a different ki-signature right beside him, even though he was reasonably sure that he was alone in this black void. A stray thought hits him: what if the owner of the other signature was now piloting his body around?

The mere thought of someone else seizing control of his perfection was enough to make him shake with fury, but he was not without patience.

He would simply wait until he was able to talk to this other presence in his body and then it would realize the grave mistake it had just made...

-line-

_What the actual fuck?_

Part of me wanted to believe that I was in some kind of messed up dream, but my senses were far too vivid.

This... this was insane.

"Are you alright? I wasn't anticipating such a strong reaction to the Link System."

That monotone voice sounded very familiar...

I looked over to my right where I saw the familiar face that it was attached to. The red hair, signature green suit and earrings told me immediately told me who I was looking at.

Android 16.

I may not have been the biggest DBZ-fan in the world but I did recognize a vast majority of the major players, even some from Dragon Ball Super. But since my favorite arc was the Android/Cell-saga, it wasn't hard at all to recognize the large android.

But still, last time I checked Cell had crushed the android's head beneath his foot to get to Gohan. How was the android still around?

I steadied my breath, I would have to ponder that particular conundrum later.

"I am fine, I just...hate not being able to move. Having no way to defend myself while somebody I don't know does god knows what to me."

The smooth male baritone that came from my lips slightly caught me off guard but I recovered quickly, it was a little less deep than I anticipated. The android gave me an apologetic expression that looked surprisingly genuine for coming from a robot.

"I see. I apologize, I was unaware that you were awake prior to the link being fully formed. As you can probably figure out on your own, you are currently not in your own body. The original plan was to link you with Son Goku but your soul latched on to the bio-android named Cell before the link to Goku was able to be made."

Just as I thought.

"Like the green carapace didn't tell me that." I responded a little more dry and harshly than I would have liked and I sighed before my voice softened.  
"Sorry, I am just trying to process the fact that I am currently inhabiting the body of a giant bugman."

16 didn't seem to be put off in the slightest, he simply gave me a faint smile.

"Understandable. Perhaps you would like to get a better look at the body that you are inhabiting..."

16 gestured towards the window and I pushed myself off of the metal table that I had been lying on, carefully getting a feel for how this body was to move around in as I approached the glass.

The first thing that hit me was how tall I was. I was easy as tall as 16, perhaps even slighter taller than so, and it felt like I could hit the ceiling if I just jumped normally.

As I looked at the reflection, I couldn't help but to notice that Cell's perfect body was a lot more streamlined than I remembered. Perhaps I was thinking of the time he demonstrated the flaws of Super Saiyan grade 3, but I remembered it being more bulky than this.

But I definitely remembered the face.

Back when I had been a hormone-driven young teen, Cell had been by and far my favorite villain. His charisma, his confidence, his handsome appearance...maybe not the way he looked at the world like his own personal playground and his casual disregard for human life but he had many qualities that was attractive to my younger stupider self.

Something that led to a very awkward conversation with my dad about why on Earth I found a massmurdering psychopath to be hot.

But as I admired his body up, close and personal in the present; a lot of those old feelings started to come back.

_Damn, it looks even better than I imagined back then._

The carapace was such a natural part of his body that it was easier to move around in that I had anticipated, the wings was a bit harder to get used to given their size but nothing I couldn't overcome.

I felt powerful, like I could take on the whole world with no problem. This truly was the body that had beaten Vegeta into submission, that had held the fate of the planet in its grasp.

_"Enjoying a taste of my perfection?"_

I almost stumbled, the same voice that had sounded from my lips was now inside of my head. Had the link done something? Or is it the true inhabitant of this body speaking to me?

_"I know that you can hear me, so you'd better respond if you know what's good for you."_

My eyes darted around frantically and 16 looked over to me with a completely calm expression.

"It appears that Cell's soul has reawakened inside you. He can hear all that is happening out here but only you can hear his voice on the inside."

_"Is that 16? But I caved his head in! How is he still alive?"_

_Trust me Cell, I am wondering the same thing._

I closed my eyes, focusing on Cell's voice while tuning out everything else. It was a process that was similar to meditation, something I was already familiar with, so it wasn't that hard.

Cell's presence was palpable and almost overpowering, it took plenty of self-control to not shiver. I still remembered the empty piles of clothes in Ginger Town, the imagery of him absorbing the androids and the destruction he left in his wake.

But I still remembered the number one rule when it came to dealing with wild predators.

And Cell truly was a predator. A very intelligent and sophisticated predator, but a predator nonetheless.

Never show them fear.

"Greetings, Cell. I never imagined that I would ever get a chance to meet you in person. An honor, truly."

-line-

Cell had to admit it, this was not how he had expected this conversation to start.

The nerve of this woman...

And he could tell that it was a female due to her inner voice.

"You have a lot of nerve hi-jacking my body like this."

_"You assume that I had a choice in the matter."_

Her tone was even and firm, barely a hint of fear. Oh sure, it was there but kept under a very tight leash. It was almost impressive.

Yet there was something else there to. A sense of respect, or perhaps just the acknowledgement of him as a potential threat.

Interesting...

He needed to test her further.

But in order to do so, he needed to get her in here...

-line-

Cell's words caught me slightly off guard.

_"You have a lot of spine, I will admit that. But I wonder if your bravado holds up once you are actually in here with me."_

I wasn't afraid to admit it, the prospect of being alone with Cell was a terrifying one. Even though he appeared calm and composed, his tone still carried a hard undertone that signified danger.

I imagined getting sucked dry by his tail that still remained lodged under his wings, a detail that I never noticed as a kid. I imagined being blasted into oblivion. Or maybe just being choked to death by his bare hands.

_"Let us continue this conversation face to face, shall we?"_

I felt a great force pulling at my subconscious.

I suddenly felt like I was falling in midair before landing in a pool of deep water, even though I could breathe without issue I still felt the pressure all around me.

I swam up to the surface and found that I could actually stand on it, a strong smell of disinfectant or rubbing alcohol was constantly present throughout the area and it only served to empathise the sense of dizziness that I was feeling at the moment.

I shook the shock off and looking around to find the very smug-looking android a few feet away from me.

"That's better. Now human, you are going to tell me everything you know. And don't try and conceal it, I can sense what you are."

I was a bit intimidated to be honest, I barely reached up to his chest and definately wouldn't stand a chance if he chose to attack. But I composed myself, pushed the fear into a deep corner where it wouldn't get in the way, and tried to appear as calm as possible.

"I am just as confused as you are, one moment I am making lunch and the next I am suddenly in a freaky laboratory in the middle of god knows where in a body that isn't mine next to an android that should be dead." My voice had a strange quality that echoed through the air around me.

His eyes narrowed and I almost stepped back a little bit, but thankfully he didn't act on his frustration quite yet. He seemed to be scannning me for any signs of lying but he eventually closed his eyes and seemed satisfied with the conclusion that he had arrived at.

"I see, so you truly don't know anything about this. Yet you don't seem to realize who you are standing in front of."

He stepped closer until he stood right in front of me, arms crossed and a posture that reeked of dominance out to the fingertips.

I desperately tried to keep him from noticing how uncomfortable I was, how my breaths kept getting more and more frantic as something in his behavior was triggering a part of my brain that I thought I had buried a long time ago.

_Don't do this to me...not now...not here...please don't see...please don't see..._

Unfortunately, he did notice.

"There it is. Not so tough now, are you?”

I clenched my fists, so incredibly angry at the smug expression on his face, so angry at my stupid brain for responding like this to the simple act of him leaning over me the way he was.

Thankfully, the sound of 16's voice was enough to pull Cell's attention off of me for a little bit.

_"Cell, I am not sure if you have heard everything but I have no time to go in-depth. All I can tell you is that this soul is now connected with your body and that without it, you are not able to fight."_

"What did he just say?"

Cell went rigid and the temperature within the soulscape dropped, I was growing legitimately scared of the murderous android that was mere feet away from me.

"I am the perfect being! I will not be controlled like this!"

He started to charge a ki-blast in his hand and I braced for impact as he aimed it in my direction, only to see the gathered ki disperse before it could fire. It was like it couldn't hold itself together like usual. He kept trying again and again but kept getting the same result.

Cell looked at his hands like they were foreign objects and I simply looked on in shock.

"No...no...NO! This can't be real!"

Suddenly he suddenly launched himself towards me in a fit of blind rage, arm raised for what was no doubt going to be a devastating punch and eyes like bloody murder.

"THIS IS MY BODY! THIS IS MY POWER! AND I WILL NOT LET YOU TAKE THEM FROM ME!"

I was frozen in place for a few moments, my brain having somehow come a stand-still, but then my fight-or-flight-instinct kicked in.

I was not dying here! Not to him! Not now that I was finally in the world that I had wanted to visit for so many years!

And before I was able to comprehend it, I had somehow avoided his attack and used his streched-out arm like a wooden horse to vault up in order to kick him right in the face.

Apparently hard enough to knock him over in the process.

As we stared each other down, me trying to appear as confident and in control as possible as the adrenaline-rush of the century worked its way through my system and him on his ass looking at me with an expression that greatly resembled a goldfish, a part of me wanted to laugh for the absolutely mad situation that I had somehow ended up in.

The rest of me was thinking something else.

_How on Earth am I going to survive this one?_


	2. Compatible Frequency

_Well, what a wonderful first impression that was..._

This was definately not a good way to begin a mutual partnership. Granted, his reaction was definately not unexpected given the situation and I had definately considered the possibility.

But l needed to be able to work with him if both of us was going to get out of this alive.

And I had just kicked him right in the face. 

Wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful. 

By now, Cell was sitting on the 'floor' and observed me as I folded my arms over my chest. He did not look as furious as I expected but instead more calculating and downright curious.

It was strange to say the least.

I sighed, at least he seemed calmer than before.

"Look. I don't like this arrangement either. But we have no choice. 16 is the only one who might know how to return both of us to normal so you will simply have to put up with me until then. The better we work together, the faster we can get away from one another."

He was giving me all of his attention.

Good.

"But make no mistake, Cell. If you think that you can just walk all over me..."

I stared him directly in the eye, magenta meeting brown.

"...You are sorely mistaken."

The reaction that I got from my attempt at declaring my stance was not one that I expected.

He chuckled.

Not nefariously or mockingly.

Just genuine amusement.

"I will admit that you caught me off guard. It is official human, you have captured my interest. I suppose that there are worse souls that I could have been linked with."

I was a bit put off guard myself by this statement, but at this rate I was relieved that he was at least not openly antagonistic towards me and somewhat open to reason. It hopefully meant that working with him wasn't going to be as big of a chore as I had dreaded.

"But if you try to pull something with my body, know that there is no place in the universe where you will be able to hide from me. And I will make sure that you pay dearly."

He stood up and looked at me with a dead serious look in his eyes, clearly signifying that they were not empty words.

I sighed, mentally preparing to jump back out in order to try and get some more information out of 16. I had a strong feeling that there was something that he wasn't telling me...

But nonetheless, I acknowledged Cell's threat. It was foolish to do otherwise.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

I opened my eyes and found myself back in the laboratory.

"Soul within Cell, you have returned. To address your current situation, in order to return to your own body you need to fight as many battles as possible."

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, this is the world of Dragon Ball after all. But that statement opened up a big can of worms that I had hoped I wouldn't have had to adress so soon.

"16, there is one massive problem with that."

The android gave me a questioning look.

"And what would that be?"

I sensed that Cell was listening as well so I ripped the band-aid off.

"I don't know how to use ki."

You could have heard a pin drop as 16 stared at me in disbelief and I could vividly imagine the eye-roll that accompanied Cell's response.

_"Are you serious?"_

"It is a lost art where I come from! Nobody in my world knows how to do it!"

I heard Cell sigh and I couldn't help but to feel a bit embarrassed. Even though I had watched plenty of the show back in the day, ki-control definitely felt like something that you had to learn first-hand. And now I had to learn it fast from a very questionable source.

_"No matter, I wanted to test your combat-prowess anyway. I am not letting you run around in my body without knowing how to use it properly. Now give it back to me, I want to have a word with 16."_

I curiously looked inward.

"How do I do that? Just stepping back into the soulscape?"

_"What else? Now get on with it!"_

I closed my eyes and in not too long, I was back in its rippling world. As Cell walked forward to take the reigns, I briefly turned towards him.

"Don't destroy 16 just yet."

Cell turned his head towards me with a questioning look that contained a large dose of skepticism. I elaborated.

"He clearly knows more than he is letting on and I have a strong feeling that he knows the one who sealed your powers away. If we play our cards right, he might lead us to this person."

Cell smirked and I felt like I just dodged a bullet.

"Good thinking, human. Perhaps it is beneficial to leave my fellow android intact for now. But if he becomes more trouble than he is worth, I will despose of him."

I closed my eyes, if this was the closest to an agreement that I could get from Cell then I would have to be satisfied with that.

"Off course. It is only fair."

I watched as he took control and I let out a breath I didn't realize that I had been holding. So far, everything was going smoothly and I was incredibly grateful that I had ended up linked with him rather than someone who wouldn't have given me a chance at all.

But still, I would have to tread somewhat carefully with him. I couldn't afford to forget that people like him seek out weakspots and old wounds like sharks that smelled blood in the water.

And I had already given him one taste too much.

-line-

It truly was a great feeling to have his body back under his control. Even if his power was still not accessible to him.

It was still there, he could still feel it, but for some reason he couldn't tap into it.

But it didn't matter right now, he wanted some answers.

He turned towards 16 who straightened as he could no doubt sense that the human was no longer the one in charge.

How cute. Nonetheless, the other android smartly doesn't throw the first punch and starts to talk in his signature droning monotone.

"So you took back control? I suppose that it will be easier to explain things directly. For now, the soul must be in charge as only it is able to tap into your power."

He closed his eyes in frustration, off course. It was like he had expected. But if 16 thought that he was going to take this lying down, that scrapheap had another thing coming...

"You truly have a lot of gall to do this to me, 16. But don't forget that I once caved your head in with ease. And I won't hesitate to do it again."

The other android went into a stance, ready to defend himself, and yet still seemed intent on not engaging him in battle. A smart move in such a small space with plenty of fragile equipment.

"You misunderstand. I may have activated the Link-system but I was not the one who locked away your power."

He paused slightly, so 16 wasn't working alone. That human had been right. Now the only question was...

"And who is the one who did?"

A slight pause.

"Android 21. The current leader of the Red Ribbon Army."

A new android?

_"21? I only remember the ones up to nr 20, and you off course. It must have been one of Gero's side-projects..."_

How interesting, the human seems to be more knowledgeable than he gave her credit for. That would be something worth investigating later.

"And this android is the only one who can unseal my power?"

16 nodded and Cell then turned his attention to the human soul inside him that he was now forced to share his body with, aware that she was listening.

"Well human, looks like you are going to be my crutch for the foreseeable future. But do not think that it means that you can do whatever you want with my body. Especially since you are just a lowly human who barely knows how to fight."

He felt her bristling at the jab but he payed it no mind. She would learn her place soon enough.

"Authority-wise, I am the one in charge here. Am I understood?"

He half-expected her to pick a fight based on her earlier behavior, but this human somehow manages to surprise him yet again.

_"As long as you still have something to teach me."_

He could practially see the smirk that accompanied that response in front of him. And he couldn't help but to mirror it with his own.

_Oh, this is going to be fun._

"Very well then. From this day forward, consider yourself my student. But you'd better keep up, because in this class there is no such things as training-wheels. Now pay attention and listen because I am not going to repeat myself..."

-line-

Turns out that ki is simultaneously more simple and more complex that I had imagined.

As Cell had tried to explain what ki was and how to access it, I had brought up the sensation that I had experienced shortly before waking and he had immediately confirmed my suspicions.

_'Yes, that is it. Now you have to find that fire again and this time, you have to find a way to mold it to your will. Make it manifest outside of you and give it form. Or in this case, create a force downwards that keeps you in the air. Don't look so exasperated. Once you get the hang of it, it's like riding a bike. Molding ki will be second nature in no-time.'_

I understood what I was meant to do in theory rather well but in practice, it was much more difficult than I thought.

For one, the mere idea of essentially grasping the energy of your soul was kind of bizarre. And a lot of it was based on willpower so if your confidence faltered even the slightest in these early stages, the ki would disperse like it did for Cell during his tantrum earlier.

But on the positive, my lessons with Cell did explain plenty of things about ki that I had often pondered back in my own world. Like how people can harness this energy even after they die and how it seems to get stronger the more confident in themselves the character is as long as their bodies can sustain it.

And as for flying, the metaphor of riding a bike was actually quite accurate. Once I got a handle on how much energy to direct and how to steer, it really did become second nature. In not too long at all, I was soaring through the skies and even performed a few barrel-rolls which earned me a few eyerolls from my instructor.

Surprisingly enough, Cell is a pretty competent teacher. Who knew?

In either case, once I got a good enough grasp of flying he directed me towards a barren wasteland not too dissimilar to the one Piccolo and Gohan trained in prior to the arrival of Vegeta and Nappa for the next step in his 'evaluation'.

I had to be honest, this was the part that I was dreading the most.

I am not a stranger to martial arts and I have spent plenty of time in the ring, but never with the intent of serious harm. And to make matters even worse, my style of fighting was geared towards taking advantage of my slightly smaller than average size. Now I was a towering giant and that meant that I would basically had to relearn everything from scratch.

_"Oh please, stop this fiddling. That is why we are here. I will not allow you to make me look like a fool once we are out on the battlefield and it feels like you need some practice in either case."_

He wasn't wrong.

It had been quite a while since I had actually fought and now I desperately needed to find my zone again.

I started with a few basic katas and moved in old familiar patterns as I fought an imaginary opponent in front of me. It was quite an adjustment to get used to having size and raw strength on my side rather than having it used against me, but I would make it work somehow.

_"Off course, you have the perfect body at your disposal. Make use of the reach and don't forget that I am faster than I look."_

Off course Cell couldn't resist bragging about himself every now and then but I let it slide because the rest of the time his advice was legitimately useful.

There was something about his abundance of confidence that was kind of infectious, it together with his vast insight into combat made his lectures very interesting as well as informative. I couldn't resist teasing him a little bit.

"I would have never thought that you were so good at instructing. Have you ever considered becoming a teacher?"

_"Nice try, but this is a one-time deal. Though I will admit that I never imagined myself teaching someone else either. Now if we are going to keep going with this, then I will have to say that you should get yourself ready for your big test because it looks like we have some company incoming."_

I turned to the side and noticed a trio of figures flying towards me on the horizon. There was something familiar about the one in the front...

_'How strange, I cannot sense any ki from them. They might be suppressing it but even in that case, we would still have been able to feel at least something considering that they are flying. In either case, brace for impact."_

I went into a fighting-stance as the three strangers touched ground a few feet away from me. They looked virtually identical to Goku, Tien and Krillin except there was something off about them. The colors of their uniforms were much darker and all of them had lifeless red eyes that made me think of glass. The way they moved were stilted and robotic, all around they looked almost completely soulless. I felt a bad case of uncanny valley but suppressed my internal shivers.

"I don't know about you, but I don't think that these are the real people. These clones look like they came out of a 3D-printer that ran out of ink halfway through production."

Somehow I felt a little bit proud of myself over the fact that I was able to make the android laugh a little.

_"Amusing. Let us see if they can fight."_

The amused tone of his reply dispelled some of my anxiety and somewhat unsurprisingly, the Goku-clone was the first one to begin the battle.

He leveled a punch at me but I dodged out of the way, slamming an elbow into the clone's back hard enough to send it flying.

It skipped across the ground several times, getting more and more damaged each time it impacted with the hard sand before it dissolved into dust.

I was amazed at the result but had little time to admire the sight before the next clone stepped up to the challenge.

The Tien-clone made me feel a bit nostalgic since it appeared as his Crane School techniques was very similar to the Crane Style Kung-fu that I had studied earlier on in my life before I gradually moved on to MMA. But it meant that I had a pretty good idea on how to counter him.

The clone's strikes were precise and deflecting yet still impressively effective for a human and I was getting back in my groove, made easier by the fact that I had an easier time reaching the clone that the clone had with me.

Finally I delivered a powerful punch to the clone's stomach that almost went all the way through the clone's body, something that would have been incredibly gross if it wasn't for the fact that the clone felt more like wet sand than flesh and bone.

The Tien-clone fell apart and I readied a ki-blast as the final one jumped at me, disintegrating it on spot.

_"Not bad, human. It took you little long to ready that ki-blast and you use too much power in your attacks but for someone who has barely had a day's worth of training in the art, it was mildly impressive. Perhaps this won't be as painful as I feared."_

Even with the sarcastic reply, I took Cell's underhanded acknowledgement as a win.

As I surveyed the damage around me, the sound of slow clapping became audible and I suddenly became aware of a second ki-signature only a few feet away. 

One that was cold as ice.

"My my...So they brought you back too?

I turned towards the source of the voice and saw a slim white figure sitting on a nearby cliff with a chillling look of amusement.

A figure that was impossible not to recognize.

_Frieza..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Tien's Crane Style being close to Crane Style Kung Fu in our world might be completely wrong, but just see it as a little piece of my personal headcanon that makes it easier for me to write.
> 
> And on a personal note, I think that out of all the villains in the storyline, Cell is one that I can see taking his time to teach his new tenant properly if it means that he won’t look like a complete idiot on the battlefield. Even some of his character-interactions in the Xenoverse-games show that he can be a good teacher with the proper motivation. 
> 
> In either case, I hope that I haven’t been completely butchering his character so far and please look forward to the next installment as we get an unexpected visit from the icecold ruler of the cosmos...


	3. Audience with the Emperor

He was every bit as deceptively intimidating as I remembered him.

In spite of his porcelain-like exterior, Frieza was not one to be underestimated regardless of the form he was in. Underneath that facade of polite mannerisms lied a cruel, calculating tyrant.

As a child I remembered shivering every time he appeared on screen and the scene where he brutally beat down and tortured Vegeta was one that burned itself into my head for years. His questionable gender was just another aspect that made him creepy to my younger self, the fact that I grew up with his original voice did nothing but strengthen my confusion.

He was a combination of both male and female, young and old, polite yet cruel. He was a confusing mixture of opposites that came together into something apart of that I later on would understand to be the Uncanny Valley.

I was never truly scared by him, just unnerved.

But now as I was able to truly see him in person, it was hard to not feel the weight of his presence. Even if sharing body with Cell made it easier to bear.

_"Let me talk to him, I want this to go reasonably smoothly."_

I was not inclined to disagree so I handed him the reigns while I relaxed in the void, the waters being slightly cold but nothing I couldn't overcome. I was kind of like the temperature of a pool meant for exercise-swimming: cold just as you go in but it gets better as your body adapts.

And adapting was the name of the game here...

-line-

Truth to be told, he had not expected Frieza to be back amongst the living.

Perhaps he shouldn't have been given his current predicament, but he was regardless.

"It looks like we both have mysteriously been resurrected. Wonder if there are any more that were brought back with us..."

Frieza's tail flicked around lazily in an almost catlike fashion as he pondered.

"I suppose that it is possible, but between the two of us we should be able to handle anything that gets thrown our way."

The emperor's tone dropped in a fashion that Cell did not like.

"Especially if you are willing to share that human soul that now acts as the source of your power."

He couldn't keep his surprise from showing on his face.

How on Earth did Frieza notice? His ki-signature was already a mishmash of various signatures as it was so the human's signature should simply have vanished amongst them with how weak it was at the moment.

Frieza laughed slightly, clearly amused by his confusion.

"Don't think that I didn't notice, the human's ki was far more pronounced when you fought earlier and there was a noticeable change just now. So I can only assume that it was when you took back control."

Cell sighed, perhaps there was some merit to Frieza's claim of being a genius. The frost demon continued.

"As much as it disgusts me to allow a maggot to roost in my body, I need more power in order to get my revenge on the one who ripped it my power from me as well as my free will. Ever since I awakened, my body has been under the influence of some kind of outside influence and I am gradually loosing control over it. And it is only a benefit if we work together. We do have the same enemy after all, and that old wisdom of safety in numbers does hold plenty of weight, does it not? So, what will it be?"

He thought for a moment. While it is true that a part of him wanted to hog his little human to himself, he also acknowledged that Frieza's words held plenty of merit. Perhaps having multiple links going at the same time could possibly relieve the strain off of him...

_"You're not just going to hand me over, are you?"_

The human's voice carried a sliver of uncertainty and for some reason, he felt the need to elaborate by projecting his thoughts to her. He didn't want the emperor to overhear their conversation.

'Off course not. You are the link to my power. But Frieza could be a useful ally in the future. And there is some truth in what he is saying.'

He could feel her frustration within him but ultimately relenting silently, a wise choice. He turned towards Frieza who was watching him with mild interest.

"It looks like we have an agreement. The human is willing to link up with you, but as her primary link-partner she will always default to me. So don't think that you can just run off with her once your power is unsealed."

The emperor smirked in his small victory, but then something neither of them had considered just came to him.

"So, how are we going to form another link? I assume that you had some kind of assistance forming it the first time judging by the current expression on your face."

Cell scowled, Frieza was absolutely right. Android 16 had been the one to form the link between him and the human and he had no idea how to proceed.

_"I think that I might be able to find my way over to him if he reaches out to me spiritually, I should be able to use his ki as a guide to reach his soulscape."_

It was a very strange set of instructions but it was the best he got. He relayed the message to Frieza who looked at him skeptically.

"This is absolutely ridiculous."

"Do you have a better idea?"

The emperor sighed and grumbled something under his breath that sounded like some kind of obscenity before he closed his eyes as Cell followed through.

He felt the human's soul move the short distance between them in gradual steps, careful to not loose the path.

Finally, her ki seemed to blend with Frieza's and he opened up his eyes to see Frieza shivering in perceived disgust. A sight that made him more amused than he was willing to admit.

"Any problems, Frieza?"

Said alien warlord looked over to his partner with a highly unamused expression, something that just made it harder for him to suppress his chuckles.

"This is the single most disgusting thing that I have ever done. But if it is able to restore my power by even a tiny fraction then it will be worth it in the long run."

Cell nodded, pleased with the results.

"Good. Now try to bring the human out, she is the one who is going to do your fighting for you so you will have to get used to it."

Frieza grit his teeth and closed his eyes, after a few moments his ki shifted and his eyes opened again with a significantly less cold expression. The human stretched and somehow managed to figure out how to manage the tail with minimal trouble.

It was a body that she seemed to take to with ease, something that didn't sit well with him for some reason. He was the perfect being! His body was pure perfection! Off course his body was the one that meant to be the one best suited for her!

How on Earth did he arrive at that conclusion?

In either case, he shrugged off the strange ramblings of his brain and turned his attention to the human in Frieza's body who had finished her stretches and was now looking to him for further instruction.

"So human, how's it going? How does this body compared to mine?"

She smirked at him in an almost teasing fashion.

"What's the matter? I never thought that you were so insecure."

He rolled his eyes and stepped closer intending to provoke another reaction, whilst she definitely coiled up defensively she also seemed a bit more confident and composed than before. Something told him that she was not going to let him get through her defenses again, at least not without a fight.

But if there was anything that he loved, it was a challenge. Whether it was fighting or not.

And she was practically dangling this one in front of him like a carrot on a stick.

"You are one to talk about insecurity, coming from the one who can't stop shivering when I am just near you."

Her response was to send him a glare that was equal parts pain and equal parts cold anger. One that actually had him taking a few steps back.

"It is not in my control."

There was something hidden in that seemingly simple sentence, her tone pointed to an entire history behind her seemingly unexplainable switching between confident self-assurance and involuntary shows of fear.

But just as quickly as it came, her sudden flash of internal scars was hidden away behind walls of playful indifference.

"Frieza's soulscape is cold as fuck. Ice was literally forming under my feet as I stood on the surface. And as for your earlier question, his body is pretty close to my actual height so it is a little easier to get a hold of. Having three toes is going to be incredibly weird though."

He was a little caught off guard by her rapid change in mood but then he was distracted by something in that line of sentences that almost instantly dispelled all the tension.

"Hold up, you are just as short as Frieza? You seemed so much taller in the soulscape."

The situation was made even more amusing as she immediately started to fidget around in embarrassment.

"I am actually a little bit shorter than him, don't ask me about how the soulscape works. I mean, you took Vegeta's punches and kicks like nobody's business and yet I was somehow able to knock you over."

Cell was wondering about that last tidbit as well on top of how on Earth this human had seen that particular fight since it had taken place far away from any onlookers, but he couldn't help but to continue to linger on the tiny little terror that he had been saddled with.

"Wow, I always thought that Frieza was a midget but you must be absolutely tiny."

Out of nowhere he suddenly hears Frieza's muffled outburst that vaguely sounded like 'how dare you' and he looks over to his companion to see her flinch only to moments later burst out into laughter.

Upon seeing his questioning look, she giggled forth an answer that amused him to no end.

"Frieza is flipping out over the fact that you just called him a midget."

He couldn't keep his chuckles concealed, he had to admit that he had not been this amused in a long time. There was just something about this human that repeatedly tickled his funny bone, yet he had also felt something else hidden underneath her seemingly endless ways to make him laugh.

A sense of underlying negativity that oddly enough wasn't aimed at him, instead the one that was the intended recipient was the human herself.

It was nothing short of confounding, even with his admittedly limited expertise in human psychology.

She wasn't just a challenge for him to overcome, she was a puzzle that he couldn't resist to try and solve.

He didn't know about Frieza, but this human was getting more interesting with every passing minute.

Even if her steadily growing dark clouds was something that might elicit some concerns if it got in the way of her ability to fight...

-line-

_Why?!_

_Why?!  
_ _Why?!_  
 _Why?!  
_ _Why?!_

_Why couldn't you just keep your fucking mouth shut?!_

_He is never going to leave you alone now!_

_You are just a weak pathetic little bitch!_

_He is going to tear you apart!_

_Who do you think you are?!_

_You are going to get yourself killed, you and everyone else!_

_All because you are a broken fucking failure!_

_Failure!_

_Failure!_

_**Failure!** _

-line-

_'This is a bit of an unexpected turn of events'_

As she observed the two villains interact with each other, Android 21 couldn't help but to feel a bit of sadistic amusement over watching the confident facade of the soul crack, if only for a moment.

It was no accident that just this soul was chosen for the Link-System.

A healthy soul would have eventually gotten in the way, too confident and assured of themselves to play along.

But a broken one that has barely begun to heal? That is a different story entirely.

Perhaps her accidental linking to Cell was a blessing in disguise. Inbetween his inability to resist a challenge as well as his natural curiosity that had already gotten him to poke at wounds that are still bleeding, there are no way that these two could ever awaken enough power to actually pose a threat to her.

Yet, there was still a possibility.

The soul must have been drawn to him for a reason...

"16."

Her companion immediately made himself known, holding a plate of donuts and a cup of tea.

"Yes, 21?"

"Was there anything odd going on during the linking-process?"

He tries to act like he doesn't know what she is talking about, but ultimately relents. Like he always does.

"As you know, I was not given a chance to form a link with Son Goku as the soul attached itself to Cell as soon as it crossed over into our plane. But as it awoke, it revealed something that might be worth investigating."

She turned to her fellow android, giving him her full attention with an interested expression.

"And what would that be?"

"The soul was aware. It could hear everything that was going on out here before I fully activated the Link-System."

Her eyebrows went up. That was fascinating information indeed...

She once again looked up to the monitor and smiled wickedly as she saw her target flying through the air.

_You are becoming a lot more interesting than I anticipated. I wonder what you are going to do next..._


	4. Dissonance

_"What on Earth was that all about?"_

I flinched, in my internal berating from the thoughts in my head I had forgotten that my thoughts were no longer private. I couldn't decide if the fact that it was Frieza and not Cell who posed the question made the situation better or worse.

"None of your business."

_"Considering that you and I currently share the same body and that we will soon have to go into battle once again, I have to disagree."_

I sighed, feeling my self-esteem drop. A part of me felt like somebody was playing some kind of sadistic joke on me, sticking me in this situation where my already fragile mental health would constantly get in the way. Where it could do nothing but worsen as the lives of so many people depended on me.

_"You are doing it again."_

I took a deep breath to try and push the dark thoughts out of my head by force, something I knew only worked for so long.

'Contrary to what you might think, it is easier to ignore them when the fighting starts. Too much in my head at once so they don't get any space."

I paused for a moment, feeling incredibly naked. But it was important to make note of. I couldn't afford to have either him or Cell think that I was incapable of fighting...

'It is when nothing is happening when they start to creep up on me, especially when I am trying to go to sleep. No matter what I do, they won't leave me be. But I can still fight.'

I could tell that he wasn't buying it.

_"We will see about that. You might be able to deal with it but given that this negativity is almost constantly present and clogging up your head, I can only imagine how it is going to affect everyone else. What will you do then?"_

The frustration was eating me alive, how on Earth could I make him understand the lack of control I had? What I would give to make it stop? All the pain I underwent as I screamed into the void for anyone to hear me? All the humiliating jabs and impatient urging demands to get over it, not understanding the scale of the mountain that I had to climb?

_"If it was up to me and the circumstances were different, you would not be here. You would be on the first ride home. Because we have no need for broken soldiers."_

I knew that he was right, that realistically I had no place on any kind of real battlefield. I would just get in the way. Especially the way I am now.

But the only thing that was going through my head was something not said aloud but was nonetheless clear. Something that was now invading my thoughts like a neverending mantra.

_You. Are. A. Burden._

-line-

Cell frowned as he looked over at Frieza as they flew towards some ki-signatures in the distance, even though the soul was not currently inside him he could feel the dark thoughts get worse.

Sometimes he swore that he could hear faint muffled whispers of what was going through the human's head.

None of it was encouraging.

He had no idea what on Earth Frieza was telling her but whatever it was, it sure wasn't helping an already bad situation.

Even if he might agree that the human was definitely not mentally stable enough to be on a battlefield, they did not have the luxury of swapping her out and they would have to get by with what they had.

And Frieza intentionally antagonizing the soul inside him is not going to help.

"Look Frieza, I get that you are not pleased with this situation. But your chances to surviving this mess is contingent on that soul. And if you make her condition worse, then none of us will get out of this alive."

The emperor scoffed in an unconcerned manner.

"There's nothing harmful about telling the truth. If she was to be sent out on her own, she would die on the first day. She is useless without us. On top of the fact that her 'issues' are going to become a potentially lethal distraction."

Cell winced, he might agree with Frieza on a lot of those points but he had a sneaking that the human was going to read something else in those lines as well. Potentially reaching a conclusion that could spell the end for both of them.

And from what he could feel from her, she was already starting to head down that road.

He could hear more whispers, this time a little more audible. So many thoughts of inadequacy, of uselessness, of worthlessness.

Failure.

Burden.

Words repeated over and over again until they almost became indistinguishable.

Yet she was still desperately trying to keep him from noticing, her actions laced with a primal fear that he was incredibly familiar with from his hunts in his earlier stages. Like a wounded prey trying to hide its weakness from the big bad predator.

He couldn't stand it. And not necessarily because it was unbearable. There was just something so...wrong...about seeing his confident little firecracker break apart like this.

Even if he had gotten glimpses of her cracks before, he took no joy in seeing her in this state. Especially with plenty of battles coming up ahead.

He had to do something, if only to save both his and her sanity. He tried reaching out to her and somehow managed to even though she wasn't in his body at the moment.

'Listen human.'

The whispers decreased in volume, apparently as a response to the distraction. Good to know for the future.

'I know that things are pretty rough right now and I have no doubt that whatever Frieza said must not have been pleasant to hear. But right now, I need you to pull yourself together. We are about to head into battle and that is where I need your mind to be. We clear?'

His words seemed to have some kind of effect, thank heavens, but there were still some clouds of doubt and dark mists that wouldn't go away.

He couldn't believe that he was actually saying the next words that came out of his mouth.

'You know what? Just head inside my soulscape for a little bit. Scream. Vent. Cry. Whatever. We can even fight if you need to. I will try my damnedest to keep my big fat nose out of your personal affairs. If it means that you can keep your head on straight later, then I will gladly offer myself up.'

He had hoped that she wouldn't take his invitation as a sign of him getting soft. He was just trying to keep her from going off the rails.

And thankfully it seemed to have had its desired effect.

She seemed more clearheaded than before, looking towards where she need to be. Apparently taking a notable degree of comfort in the knowledge of a place where she could let out everything she was feeling.

But there was also something else there too.

Even amid the caution and suspicion towards his sudden change of heart, even if she was probably more than aware that he was doing this mostly for his own sake, the gratitude was incredibly potent.

She didn't have to say a single word to get her message across.

 _Thank you_.

It was a strange feeling.

Being thanked by someone...

-line-

In the end, the two of us ended up sparring to get me used to Frieza's body in actual combat as well as more technicalities regarding ki-blasts and ki-usage in general.

Somehow Frieza was convinced to teach me telekinesis as well, how Cell managed to do that I am not entirely sure. But I was grateful regardless.

The first lesson had mainly been about the fundamentals and now we were moving on to more combat-oriented training.

Plenty of finetuning and increasing efficiency as well as using ki to increase strength and speed. And instead of simply standing in place while I listened to instructions, this time I was tutored through proper sparring.

And I loved every second of it.

It was nothing short of amazing to fight against Cell properly, dodging in between punches and kicks and then feeling such an incredible sense of accomplishment when something landed. As I was getting a better handle on how manage ki in the middle of battle, I also started to experiment with throwing some ki-blasts in the middle of my strings of attacks.

It had mixed results to say the least. But it was something that I had to learn so I kept going in spite of all the pulled out metaphorical hairs and occasional jab from my two instructors.

Oh yes, Frieza was an...interesting teacher to say the least.

_"So now you pathetic earthling maggot, you are going to learn how to move objects with your mind. It is not hard, at least for a genius like myself, and it is vital for you to learn it if you are going to use my body in the future. Now get to it! I want to get this out of the way as fast as possible..."_

He definitely did not have same patience that Cell did, nor his knack for teaching, so I often had to get a translation from the android. I did get something out of it, plenty in fact, but his teaching-methods left much to be desired.

And it was not just his methods that caused friction between me and the emperor.

There was something about his spoiled big-headed rich-kid attitude that brought out the sass in me and we clashed like oil and water as I refused to submit to his will, he didn't have the size that Cell used to trigger me so instead he turned to other means.

His insults got crueler and more personal in his attempts to force me to crawl at his feet and they never seemed to let up. So far I was managing, he still didn't know enough about my life to hit as hard as he probably wants, but I was dreading what he would do if he did find out more.

But none of it mattered at the moment.

I had a fight to win.

The signature had led us to yet another group of clones; this time of Piccolo, Vegeta and, to my big surprise, Nappa.

Of all the characters to bring back, why Nappa?

But whatever, I had to deal with them anyway.

This time, I was going to take Frieza's body for a joyride and I was getting quite comfortable in it. In spite of the attitude of its proper owner.

The Vegeta-clone stepped up first and immediately dashed at me, I shot a few ki-blasts in the clone's direction to derail the flightpath and while some missed most of them hit their mark.

Instead of rushing in, I waited for the clone to make his next move and I narrowly dodged the incoming dash kick.

Performing a similar maneuver to the one I used against Cell during our first meeting, I kicked the clone straight in the head before then flying up and then slamming it into the ground hard enough to create a large crater with a tailspin before it could recover.

Not wanting to give the clone a chance to get going again, I then enveloped myself in ki and dove right after it. A slightly risky move but one that I had done before during training.

The clone didn't stand a chance. Nothing of it remained once the smoke cleared.

The adrenaline-rush made me forget about the other two clones and I paid for it when a ki-blast suddenly hit me in the back and I spotted Clone Piccolo with his arm outstretched as Clone Nappa raced past him with unusual fervor for a clone.

Suddenly I was up against two opponents at the same time, a situation that I had never dealt with before, and the fight was getting increasingly frantic as I had my hands full trying to both dodge two opponents at once whilst also getting any hits in on them. Nappa being a huge guy was not helping either when I was closer to my real size. For some reason, his attacks were much more calculated and damaging than the other clone and it was starting to add up.

I was getting more and more frustrated as their hits kept getting through whilst mine barely landed. I wasn't that wounded yet but it was only a matter on time before things could get dangerous.

Finally after what felt like an eternity of pummelling, I was 110% done.

As the Nappa-clone came in for another hit, I started to charge up a ki-ball in my hands. Pouring all of my frustration into the attack.

And once the clone was inches away from me, I suddenly slammed the ball into its gut and roared as I pushed the behemoth away from me.

"FUCK OFF!"

The blast sent the Nappa-clone flying and it kept pushing it away for quite some distance which meant that I could now focus exclusively on the Piccolo-clone who was staring at me with an empty expression.

While I might have put a lot of my strength into my previous attack, I still had a little in reserve and I sorely hoped that I could finish off the last clone with what I had left.

I made myself ready and the clone stretched out his arms to try and grab me, something I was thankfully able to dodge even as the fatigue was starting to make itself known. I rushed up and kicked it up into the sky, only watch in awe as a bright blue kamehameha impacts the clone in midair and destroys it before it can even hit the ground.

As the ashes fall, I turn to see Cell with his hands in that familiar pose that everyone with a smidgen of exposure to Dragon Ball knows. He smirks as he looks at my no doubt astonished expression.

"I thought that you needed a hand. Don't tell me that you forgot that I was here?"

I chuckled a little bit as I walked up to him, exhausted but also riding a wave of euphoria from the fighting.

Truth to be told, I hadn't felt this alive in years.

"Not really, you were always in the back of my mind. I was not expecting that kamehameha though. I thought you couldn't use your power yet."

Cell looked rather pleased with himself as he explained.

"I am not sure why, but it is coming back to me in short bursts. I don't think that we can do a full on tag-team yet but I might be able to do something in a pinch. Just don't expect to rely on it all the time."

I smiled, it was strange but it felt kind of nice seeing Cell in such good spirits. Maybe it was just my self-preservation talking but he was surprisingly pleasant to be around, at least when he wasn't playing cat and mouse with my psyche.

Suddenly he looked over to the side and I also felt something approaching.

"Human, watch out. Looks like we weren't as finished as we thought."

Cell's change in tone immediately made me turn and I grit my teeth as I saw the Nappa-clone come back for round 2. I once again went into my preferred stance, grumbling plenty of foul words under my breath as the large saiyan walked forward.

The tension was thick as both sides stared each other down. However as the staring-match continued, I suddenly realized that the clone was emitting ki passively. Something none of the other clone had done when they weren't throwing ki-blasts around.

And in combination with my prior observations, I was starting to get a growing suspicion that we weren't dealing with a clone at all.

And then something happened that cemented that suspicion beyond any reasonable doubt.

It started to talk.

Very fast.

"Lord Frieza! Are you alright?! I wasn't acting on my own, I swear! I was being controlled! Please don't kill me!"

I could do nothing but stare and the saiyan continued to ramble and Cell looked very amused.

"Looks like this one has more braincells than the rest of these mindless copies. Perhaps we have finally found one of the original specimens."

I glanced over to my partner.

"Yeah, no shit. Even when we were fighting earlier, he fought differently from the other clones we have seen so far. I wonder..."

My musings were interrupted by the wheezing sounds of barely repressed laughter.

My attention was brought back to Nappa who was desperately trying to cover his mouth in order to stop himself from laughing aloud, an attempt that didn't work as well as he was probably hoping.

"What's so funny?"

When he realized that I was staring at him with a raised eyebrow, he hastily coughed and tried to appear as stoic as he possibly could only to start sniggering again as he struggled to answer my question.

"You...you did it again."

"Did what?"

"You swore."

Of all the things I expected to hear, that sure was not it. But then it truly hit me whose body I was currently residing in and I felt a little mischievous.

_"Human, do not dare..."_

Frieza started to protest but I shrugged him aside.

Here I saw a perfect opportunity for some minor payback, and damn if I wasn't going to take it.

"So what? I can fucking swear however much I fucking want."

This time, Nappa couldn't stop himself. He laughed long and hard and it was difficult for me to not join in, it didn't stop Cell though.

_"You are from this day forward forbidden from ever swearing in my voice ever again."_

I smirked, I might end up regretting this later down the road but at the moment I was too damn satisfied to care.


	5. Gathering the Troops

To my delight, Nappa was a blast to be around.

Even when I was forced to reveal it wasn't truly Frieza in control at the moment but rather a 'lowly' human who had just ended up in his body.

Needless to say that Nappa was kind of sad that he wasn't able to claim the privilege of having heard the feared emperor Frieza swear.

"So what you mean to tell me is that it was just you swearing all that time? Oh man, it would have been such a cool thing to brag about."

I couldn't keep the smile from my face, I didn't remember much about the big saiyan (that was canon anyway, Abridged doesn't count) but I could already tell that working with Nappa was going to be fun.

"Well, you can always pretend that it was the real Frieza."

Nappa grinned at me and I smirked a little, only to then remember that I had to somehow break it to him that he needed me in order to fight.  
Which was probably not going to be pleasant considering his saiyan pride.

Thankfully, Cell seemed to take the initiative and explained the situation to the big-boned warrior.

"There is something else you should know. Since our powers have been sealed off through unknown means, the human soul that is currently residing within Frieza is the only way we have to fight the clones that seems to be everywhere and destroy the one responsible for this mess. So in other words, the soul has to possess our bodies and fight in our stead using something called the Link System."

Nappa seems to think about what he has just been told and I was kind of expecting the worst, but he just huffed and crossed his arms.

"Well, that sucks. But I guess that it can't be helped. Ever since I woke up, my limbs have felt like lead and something was making me act against my will. But if this link-thing is the only way for me to fight, then I guess I will have to put up with it for now."

He turned to me and I guessed where the conversation was heading next.

"But make me loose to some scrawny punk and you are going to pay with your life."

I had anticipated his response, he was a saiyan after all, but after Cell's rage-fueled attack and Frieza's cold reception I was kind of losing the immediate fear-response in the face of such threats.

Did I acknowledge them and the very real threat within? Absolutely.  
But I wasn't scared.

And it seems like Cell wasn't impressed either as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"That is what we have sparring for, you dimwit. And besides, you are in luck. This little firecracker here is a natural talent in the art of fighting. It's like she's been doing it for years."

I was not expecting such high praise from Cell and I won't deny that I blushed a little as Nappa looked back at me with renewed interest. I composed myself as fast as I could and addressed the two.

"I have been doing it for years, though never with the intent of causing serious harm. Where I come from, martial arts is more of a sport than anything even if there are plenty who learn it for the sake of self-defense."

Both sets of eyebrows went up and I suddenly felt the overwhelming need to shut up. That I had given away too much already. I suddenly felt pathetic, standing next to these two whose whole lives revolved around fighting.

'Don't compare apples to oranges, human. Any experience is good experience and I would much rather be stuck with you and your multitude of problems than a sheltered brat who has never fought before in their life.'

I felt a hand on my shoulder and the assurance in Cell's voice was kind of comforting. Which in and of itself was kind of strange.

I never pictured Cell as the comforting type, but I guess that he had never really had to be either. Especially since he couldn't just swap me out for a better, more stable soul.  
It must be so bizarre for him to have to deal with my mood-swings and the dark things in my head that I have tried to hide away for so many years. All of the baggage that I've had to carry without any hints of how heavy it was...

And yet even when he clearly is acting in his own self-interest, he still tries to understand. He tries harder than anyone in my life ever has, even within the short amount of time we have been together so far.

Not once has he ever said that phrase that I hate more than any other.

I never thought that I would get so attached to him, but at the same time I also never realized that this side of him existed before.

I can't remember the last time somebody heard me and actually listened...

-line-

Nappa was ridiculously fun.

More fun than I thought that he was going to be.

Even after the awkward reveal of my in comparison limited fighting-experience, the big saiyan was still onboard.

"You're still a fighter, just one that hasn't seen real combat yet. Like a soldier that has gotten some training but hasn't been sent to the field. Well, looks like I am going to be your new drill-instructor. Get ready for bootcamp!"

And bootcamp it was.

Once I linked with him, notably easier than it was with Frieza, he convinced both of them to join in the training-session to not only get me used to his body and his fighting-style but also the Saibamen.

And Frieza joined with gusto, determined to make me pay for earlier.

Explosions rocked the area as we engaged in a 1v2-battle in what was meant to be a lesson on engaging multiple opponents at once but ended up as a chaos of ki-blasts and random attacks.

Nappa was definitely built with a more compact build than the two other fighters that I had piloted so far. While he was not as fast as Frieza or Cell he had more mass to throw around, I won't deny that tackling them all over the place held a lot of personal satisfaction to it. The Saibamen was a bit awkward to fight around but they were at the very least useful distractions and somewhat helpful in restraining targets. I am not sure if they noticed that it wasn't really Nappa commanding them but they didn't seem to care either way.

I was getting into a zone as the fight continued, the blood was rushing through my veins and I was getting my first unfiltered taste of the hunger for battle that the saiyans were known for.

Sure, Cell had it too but it was still tempered and kept in check by the other attributes that came with his genetic make-up.

With Nappa, there was nothing holding it back and I started to understand why it was so easy for saiyans to get lost in the fighting, for better or worse.

Which might explain why I suddenly lost sight of Frieza during the battle and didn't notice until I felt a ball of searing heat shoot straight into my ass from below.

"MOTHERFUCKER!"

Every obscenity in my vocabulary was flying out of my mouth as I desperately tried to find a way to cool down my hurting butt while Cell was laughing from the sidelines.

I turned around once it no longer felt like it was on fire to find the culprit glaring at me, covered in suspiciously foot-shaped bruises.

"That is what you get for running me over, you mindless buffoon."

Needless to be said, his expression was caught in-between smug and vexed as I rubbed my, or rather Nappa's, sore behind. But as I started to process what he said I couldn't stop my snark from showing, much to Frieza's ire.

"Wow. The fearsome emperor Frieza, trampled on by a saiyan. It is almost poetic."

Frieza was hissing like an angry cat as he floated up in my face in an attempt to intimidate me in submission but at this point, I wasn't backing down. And besides, the effect was kind of ruined by the fact that Nappa was cheering on me on the inside.

_"Nice comeback! Give that jerk some taste of his own medicine!"_

However, our staring-match was interrupted by the sound of somebody arriving on the scene. Both of us turned to face the newcomers who were definitely not who we expected.

It was two of the members of the Ginyu Force, in the moment I couldn't recall their names since it had been a long time since I had actually watched the show as a whole. I simply recognized their affiliation based on their armor and some vague memories. I was so used to thinking of them as a group that I blanked on their names, something that was kind of embarrassing.

But where was the rest of the force, as well as Captain Ginyu himself?

"Lord Frieza, Jeice and Guldo of the Ginyu Force reporting for duty."

The two bowed and Frieza thankfully took his attention off of me to face his subordinates, though he did level a glare at me that told me this was far from over.

"I have to say that you have come back to the world of the living at a very opportune moment, though I wonder where the rest of you are..."

Jeice looked back up and saluted as he delivered his report.

"Well, my memory is sort of fuzzy thanks to these bloody waves and from what I can remember we were originally all together. But we got ambushed and then some bloke appeared and went ballistic on 'em with us caught in the crossfire! He didn't care that we weren't clones, he was just blasting everything in sight!"

Jeice seemed lost in the memory at the moment and as such, Guldo continued where his comrade left off.

"There were explosions everywhere! We barely escaped with our lives and got separated in the confusion."

As we digested this information, I felt shivers run down my spine. Not only did we have Android 21 to deal with but also this mysterious figure who was apparently powerful and terrifying enough to frighten the Ginyu Force, even with these waves neutralizing everyone's power.

Frieza was looking down at them with renewed interest, clearly curious about this mysterious warrior.

"And pray tell, who was this assailant?"

They both looked into the ground, fearful of Frieza's displeasure at their response.

"We couldn't get a good look at 'em, he was moving so bloody fast and there was so much going on around us at the moment. But his ki-signature was really weird, it was familiar and at the same time not."

Jeice shivered as Guldo added his two cents as well.

"The aura I felt was so heavy that I almost thought that I was going to drown in it and that insane cackle is going to haunt me in my dreams."

There was something about that line about a familiar yet unfamiliar ki-signature in combination with everything else that filled me with dread.

Because the first culprit that came to mind was one that I sincerely hoped was still erased from existence.

I now prayed that we would be able to find the rest of the Ginyu Force fast enough, because I was honestly dreading for their lives with this menacing figure lurking around...


	6. The Search for Captain Ginyu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys!  
> First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who has left their feedback on my story. I never anticipated that so many would like it and it makes me so happy that it seems to brighten up the day for so many people.  
> Which is kind of astounding considering that this is kind of my first experience of trying to write comedy. But I feel like it needs to be there, not just to create connections between the characters but also balance out all the drama that is going on with the main character.  
> Trust me when I say that this story is going to head down some dark alleys in the future. 
> 
> And on a sidenote, I will admit that I am kind of astounded that nobody has figured out who the shadowy figure is.  
> In fact, I was originally going to give more clues in the previous chapter but given what the tags are I thought that it would be too obvious. You came up with some very interesting guesses but not a single one has actually guessed correctly.  
> Well, in this chapter there will be some more definitive clues. If this doesn't lift the veil, then I don't know what will.  
> Short of being a boring spoil-sport that is.  
> In either case, enjoy your read!

The woman was quiet.

Unusually so.

As Frieza was explaining the situation to the two mooks, he was paying close attention to the human soul as he felt her fear vibrate across their link.

It wasn't the same kind of fear that she had shown him earlier, on further review it appeared that her previous behavior was not necessarily caused by her fear of him but was rather a response related to some kind of trauma.

But this was different.

It was raw, creeping like a spider down her spine. And this time there was no question that the one who had attacked the Ginyu Force was filling her with a great deal of dread.

Perhaps she had an idea of who this assailant was...

He reached out to her and she immediately opened up a line between them, he wasn't sure if the others could do it but for now, it seemed like it was a trick that only the two of them shared.

Something that secretly pleased him for some reason.

'What's the matter, human? You got real quiet all of a sudden.'

She sighed, clearly worried and fretful.

' _I just have a really bad feeling about this assailant. It is odd that he still seems to be able to fight on his own with all these waves hindering everyone else. And the notion of having to deal with this guy at the same time as 21 makes me uneasy.'_

He hummed, acknowledging her valid concerns. But there was something else in her tone...

'You sound like you have an idea of who is behind the attack.'

_'I am not sure, my knowledge of this world is limited. But I pray that I am wrong. Because I am not sure if we will be able to survive if he has come back to life.'_

He raised his eyebrows, this kind of comment was highly concerning coming from her. If the girl who stood up to Frieza was afraid of this person, then they were definitely somebody worth noting.

'We will have to see what the rest of the Force can tell us and then we might get more clues. Perhaps you are wrong and it is not the suspect that you are thinking of.'

_'I hope that I am wrong. I really do.'_

Something about the delivery of that line made him want to agree with her.

-line-

While we got moving to look for their comrades, I was starting to get to know Jeice and Guldo. And to my delight, they were great to be around.

In fact, they kind of reminded me of some of my classmates from back in high school with a bit of an added edge thanks to them having been high-ranking soldiers in the Frieza Force for many years. But they were still kind of easy-going.

They were curious about me when I explained what was going on but seemed to take the whole thing pretty well, all things considered. Jeice even had a very interesting piece of information to share.

"This whole wave-business is mighty weird. We definitely noticed Cap'n collapsing like a sack o' space-potatoes but the rest of us seemed to be fine."

Frieza was clearly very fascinated by this piece of news, and so was I for that matter.

"So it is possible that only those above a certain powerlevel are affected?"

"Maybe, but it doesn't explain the guy that attacked us. He was definitely stronger than Cap'n. Perhaps even stronger than you, Lord Frieza! It was like he was barely hindered at all!"

This was sounding more and more suspicious. The assailant clearly wasn't weak in the slightest so that couldn't be how he was able to get around the power-sealing waves.

But there was perhaps one another way that he could theoretically do it.

If his ki-signature was so different from the norm that the waves couldn't get a good grip on it.

_If it was a different form of ki altogether..._

And Guldo then came with another clue that made my blood run cold.

"He also used a very unusual fighting-technique. It reminded me a lot of Salza from Cooler's Armored Squadron now that I think more about it."

That name sounded vaguely familiar, a minor character from one of the movies given the name of his squad, but the first image that popped into my head was one that only heightened my suspicion of who we were dealing with.

A hand covered in ki, the energy easily slicing thick tree-branches apart. A technique that could easily tear a human body into ribbons.

But I didn't want to think about that right now as it was making me shiver and I was kind of happy to focus on something else as I was pulled into an impromptu planning-session by an enthusiastic Jeice.

Once he started to realize that I was probably going to have to pilot his captain around, he immediately got me started on their routines and usual tactics.

Some were things I could guess based on what I knew of the other members such as Recoome's physical strength and Burter's speed but there were plenty of their own special little tricks thrown in. Like one particularly amusing combo of bouncing one target between them like the ball in a pachinko-machine.

I was a bit flabbergasted by how seamlessly I was brought into the team but I was definitely grateful for the instructions as well as his assurance that he would continue to coach me from the sidelines.

"You are technically going to be a part of the Force, so it is only right that I bring you up to speed," he shrugged. "We are going to have to work out the kinks in practice once we have everyone here but this should cover the basics."

Guldo in the meanwhile was kind of the brains of the team, an innovative problem-solver with a surprising amount of expertise in mechanics and engineering.

Admittedly I was a bit intimidated by the possibility of him poking around in my head with his psychic powers but so far he hadn't gone any further than any of my other link-partners. He seemed courteous enough to not dig deeper than strictly necessary, something that filled me with relief.

I had enough problems as it was, I didn't need him tearing up old wounds as well.

Thankfully I was getting along with them pretty well in spite of my strenuous relationship with Frieza. There was just a likable energy around them that made me feel at ease.

But just as we felt another ki-signature that Jeice identified as belonging to Ginyu and set off towards it, I swore that I felt a distant pair of eyes watching me and I got a taste of a dark malevolent aura before it vanished without a trace.

_"Did you feel that too?"_

I mentally nodded, momentarily relieved by Nappa's voice and the assurance that it wasn't just in my head.

But it was only temporary as I hurried up to join the others, too afraid to look back.

-line-

We were flying over a large gorge when Jeice suddenly spotted three figures surrounded by five clones, a larger number than what we had seen in one gathering so far.

"I see 'em! And it looks like they have company too!"

The entire group touched down a few feet away from where Burter and an injured Recoome was desperately trying to protect their unconscious captain.

This time it was pretty much entirely saiyans as the line-up consisted of Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Nappa, and much to my confusion, Future Trunks.

How on Earth had 21 gotten its hands on DNA from him?

But then again, his most recent trip couldn't have been that long ago. And we had no way of knowing how long these clones had been in storage...

_"Enough dawdling! They're coming!"_

I was knocked out of my musings and only barely managed to catch the fist aimed at me at the last minute in a way that made it look a thousand times cooler than it actually was.

The clone looked stunned that I had caught it mid-punch and I took advantage of the window of opportunity, slamming my fist into its gut and then kicking it away with tremendous force.

_"Nice! Now don't let it get away!"_

I chased after it and continued the brutal pummelling until I kicked it into the ground which shattered it into a fine powder upon impact.

One thing that I had realized during sparring-practice was that Nappa liked to chat in the middle of fighting, something that did throw me off during the first few rounds and took some time to adjust to.

At one point I curiously asked Cell why he mostly stayed quiet when I fought, given that he was usually quite talk-active otherwise, and the response I got was not the one that I had expected.

_'Your attention in battle should be on the enemy, not on a voice that is chattering in your ear. The commentary should be saved for after the fight. And besides...' He suddenly smirked in a way that made me blush like a schoolgirl. 'You are a skilled fighter as it is, you don't need me to hold your hand every single step of the way.'_

I let the confidence from that conversation wash over me as the next clone dashed forward, yet another Goku.

I cooled down my nerves as it got closer and once it got within range I slammed my elbow down on its back, then stomped its head into the ground before it could recover.

As it flailed its arms wildly in panic, I couldn't resist throwing a jab at the entertaining sight.

"Look at that! I planted a dumbass tree!"

I could hear Cell laughing as he threw the occasional Kamehameha, more than often catching the clones off guard, and I also spotted Jeice giving me a thumbs-up while Frieza rolled his eyes.

Knowing that I had to finish the clone off, I stomped down on its back and it snapped with a loud CRACK as the clone disintegrated.

I saw one clone that looked like it was on its last legs and let a Saibaman finish it off while I moved to engage the last two who happened to conveniently be standing close together.

This gave me an idea. One that Nappa wholeheartedly agreed on.

_"Good idea! Let's blow em' up with the Blazing Storm!"_

The technique was one that had taken a bit of practice since it required gathering ki outside of the body, in this case underground directly beneath your target, but it was one that I had a lot of fun with once I got the hang of it.

While the others used their respective attacks to hold them in place, I started to gather up ki in the appropriate space and once enough charge had been gathered I simply let it fly.

Two fingers up and all.

The explosion was substantial. Debris was sent flying everywhere and the clones didn't stand a chance as they were torn to pieces.

All the while I stood there and smirked at the destruction. Like a boss.

_"Pretty neat, huh?"_

He had no idea how right on the money that statement was.

"Damn, that felt good."

"Of course. Why do you think I do it so often?"

I jumped as I didn't notice Frieza walk up beside me. I scratched my head a little as I recalled a moment in the anime where he used a similar method to intimidate Vegeta and the remaining Z-fighters on Namek.

"Right. You have a similar technique, don't you?"

Frieza looked at me with an amused smile on his lips.

"Who do you think Nappa got the idea from?"

I was left stunned as Frieza moved past me to talk to his men and I could hear Nappa splutter at the remark. I saw them staring at me for a moment as he explained the situation to them but Cell grabbed my attention as he walked towards me, seemingly pleased with my performance.

"Nice job, human. You are improving by leaps and bounds. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you had some saiyan in you with how fast you are learning."

I barely kept the blush from my face as Nappa joined in on the praise as well.

_"He's not wrong, you know. You would have come far on Planet Vegeta. I just know it."_

I couldn't stop fidgeting under all the compliments and I was sure that I looked absolutely ridiculous in the process.

But I wasn't used to receiving praise like this. Period.

The moment was fortunately interrupted by Frieza before I could embarrass myself further.

"Listen up! The sun has begun to set and I don't know about you, but I have no intention of fighting in the dark. And all these battles are beginning to take its toll on all of us. So let us use the remaining hours of daylight we have left to find a place to set up camp and then get something to eat."

I felt my stomach rumble at the thought of food and I was painfully reminded of the average appetite of a saiyan. It was going to take a lot of food to satisfy this big guy and it wasn't like we could just go to a fast food-place for it...

Somebody tapped me on the shoulder and I looked over to see Cell gesturing for me to come with him.

"Come on, let us get some fish. We are not far away from the ocean. Bet you that you can't catch more than me."

He winked at me and I smirked. So he wanted to play a game, did he? Well, I wasn't one to turn down a challenge. Especially when it was just about pulling up a couple of fish.

"In your dreams, Bug Boy."

We flew off together, wary of leaving the rest by themselves but they had assured us that they would suppress their ki as much as possible. Which might make the task of finding them again a bit complicated but Guldo promised that he would telepathically guide us to the right place.

But as we passed through the wasteland, I felt a foreign presence in my mind for a brief moment and it was not Guldo.

And I got a brief glimpse of a dark figure sitting on a stone-pillar before the figure suddenly vanished into thin air.

I shuddered and sped up, feeling as if every crevice had eyes that stared at me as I flew past them...

-line-

_How fascinating..._

_This group of mortals has somehow found a way to restore a portion of their power in spite of these strange waves in the air._

_All thanks to that human soul._

_Of course, I have no need for such a barbaric solution._

_This manmade contraption was unable to grasp my divine essence and as such it couldn't seal away my power entirely._

_There is still a big portion of it that is inaccessible to me but I do not need to taint myself with a mortal soul in order to fight._

_With how dependant they were on that soul, it would be so easy to finish them off..._

_But the continuous fights have taken a bigger toll on me than I expected and I need to get some food myself._

_This body is much needier than I could have ever expected all that time ago._

_And then there is the matter of the one that is behind this mess to begin with. This individual that they refer to as 'Android 21'._

_Perhaps that took priority over slaughtering some mortals. In fact, killing them would be much easier once my power was fully restored..._

_So sleep well, little mortals._

_While you can..._


	7. Tales by the Setting Sun

All in all, my little fishing-trip together with Cell was quite fun and a welcome change of pace.

Using his more advanced senses, Cell located an area of the ocean where large fish were plentiful, and then we both dove into the water like gannets looking to grab the ones that looked the tastiest.

We then hung them on a large tree, me being equally surprised that the wildlife hadn't taken one every time I came back up with my catch. Though I got a sneaking suspicion when a spotted an identical copy of Cell keeping guard and then remembered that the android had access to the Multi-Form...

Of course, Cell had the advantage since he didn't have to go up for air and was more streamlined in body type.

But I still had a lot of fun regardless.

And I will admit that Cell looked damn hot in the warm light of the setting sun accompanied by the shimmer of the water...

_ "Ew! I didn't need that kind of image in my head!" _

I blushed furiously as I was once again reminded by the fact that my thoughts weren't private and tried to banish the somewhat perverted thoughts from my head, only for them to blossom up again as he swam up to me with that confident smirk that never failed to ignite a warmth somewhere down in my soul.

"Would you mind coming back to me, human? It feels like it has been so long since I have felt you inside me."

In spite of the playful innuendo, there was something soft, almost longing, in his tone and I couldn't resist the pull that I felt. I checked in with Nappa who mentally waved my concern off.

_ "Go on, I'll be fine. And besides, I can fly on my own now that we are connected." _

I nodded and traveled the short distance between them to rest in Cell's soulscape, kind of happy to be greeted by that smell of disinfectant even if it wasn't as sharp as it was before.

As the fatigue hit me, I laid down in the water and I could have sworn that it was warmer than last time.

The vastness of the pool below me was becoming more pronounced as I curiously probed through it with my developing ki-sense. As it was, I could only feel a small fraction of it and I still had a feeling that it could get even bigger than it was.

As I soaked in this deep body of water, I suddenly realized what this pool actually was.

This was a manifestation of Cell's power.

A literal ocean, waiting to be unleashed.

And I was this tiny human floating around in it.

_ "Impressed?" _

I wasn't startled by his voice this time. Just in awe of the power I was suddenly aware of beneath the surface.

And the knowledge that I wielded a smart portion of it. If only for a limited time.

"Hard not to be. It is kind of hard to not feel so small all of a sudden. But not in a bad way...I think."

I felt a soft rolling wave of warmth and curiosity hit me and I was a bit caught off guard by this sudden display of emotion. Especially in such an unfiltered manner.

But I welcomed it regardless. Better that than spontaneous bursts of rage...

"It really is like being a small fish in a giant ocean. You feel the pressure all around you and you know that you can only see so much of it, that there is so much on all sides that it becomes difficult to comprehend."

Cell hummed, clearly fascinated by my little epiphany.

Yet I didn't feel as threatened by his increasing curiosity as I would have been a while back. I was beginning to feel more at ease with Cell, something that I never anticipated in a million years.

But he had been a much more workable partner than he had at first seemed. He was even kind of likable in his own way.

_ "This much power must be quite something to adjust to, given that you have never been exposed to power of this magnitude before. You mentioned that nobody knows how to use ki where you came from?" _

"Not quite," I responded. "The concept of this internal energy called ki has been around for millennia in the eastern parts of the world, but nobody knows how to harness it properly like you guys do. Shooting energy-blasts, shattering boulders, flying; all of that stuff is beyond us."

Cell was quiet for a little while as he pondered my response but once he spoke again, he had somehow arrived at a conclusion that I didn't fully expect.

_ "You are not from this world, aren't you?" _

The question caught me off guard and my first instinct was to lie.

But there was no accusation in his tone, no sharp demand to tell him everything that I knew.

Just a factual inquiry.

And after everything he had done for me, and not done to me for that matter, I at least owed him enough to be truthful.

"No. No, I am not."

I braced for the interrogation that was sure to follow.

But it never came.

Instead, he kept that neutral yet still curious attitude that I had grown to like, wordlessly asking for more without using threats or violence.

_ "Hm, just like I suspected." _

I chuckled slightly, sort of curious about what he had picked up on without me even realizing.

"What gave me away?"

_ "For one, the fact that you knew about the other androids which I highly doubt was public knowledge in combination with your suspicions regarding the one who attacked the Ginyu Force." _

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, kind of expecting that.

_ "But there was something else that caught my attention as well." _

I raised an eyebrow, now insanely curious.

"And what would that be?"

_ "The fact that you don't seem to be repulsed by me." _

I was surprised by his answer, not expecting his response at all. Cell took my stunned silence as a sign to keep going.

_ "Considering my worldwide literal manhunt for sustenance in my imperfect stage as well as the destruction during the Cell Games, I thought that you would be disgusted at the thought of working with me. But instead, you seem almost...accepting. And to make it even more confusing, you don't appear to be ignorant of my past actions. You know that I am someone dangerous, someone to fear. The only way it makes sense is if you were able to look at my actions from a place where you didn't feel personally threatened." _

I suppose that it made sense.

Anyone from this world would no doubt find my fondness for Cell questionable at best and rage-inducing at worst, and I understood where they came from. I came from a world where I could observe him from a safe distance, taking comfort in the fact that he wasn't real.

But the people here didn't have that luxury.

I couldn't imagine the trauma of seeing your friends and family devoured by an alien creature straight out of a monster-movie, knowing that you are next and that there is nothing you can do.

And unlike with Majin Buu, the horrors of the Cell Games are still remembered thanks to Hercule...

_ "So a part of me have to wonder, what on Earth do you see in me that's worth liking?" _

This conversation was definitely not going in the direction that I was expecting. And the mere fact that Cell was the one asking that question made the situation even stranger.

But I smiled to myself as I formulated my words, at least he seemed to be in a good mood...

"Well, for a start, you act like an actual grown-up and don't spend half your time making death-threats." I started to list a few things on my fingers. "You are a surprisingly good teacher and can be very supportive when you want to. You have a witty sense of humor that is hard to dislike. But the thing I like the most..."

I paused for a moment, almost afraid to keep going.

Afraid of revealing too much.

But he had been good to me so far.

And I still felt the need to say it.

"...is that you actually try to understand."

He was clearly taken aback by my response, I felt him stumbling a bit in the air before he continued to fly onwards.

_ "I'm sorry, come again?" _

I sighed and took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself.

"Given how sharp you are, you've probably figured out that my life hasn't been sunshine and rainbows lately. In fact, it is kind of miserable at the moment. I once thought that I had a good life, one where I wouldn't have to worry."

I tried to hold back my tears and my gradually breaking voice, I shouldn't show weakness. But it hurt so much to think back on that day, being reminded of what I had lost.

"And one day, everything just fell apart."

I curled up, trying to find a way to block out the pain. I was reminded of why I hated to talk about this part.

And it never got any easier.

"I lost my job. I lost my greatest passion. I lost my future. I lost my dreams. Everything. All because of somebody that shouldn't have been behind the wheel."

_ "An accident?" _

I nodded solemnly. Part of me wanted to stop, but I kept going.

"You probably already know this, but a human body is a lot more fragile than yours. And some injuries are impossible to recover from..."

A phantom hand gently stroked my back, providing comfort and support. It was a strange phenomenon to be sure, but this was Cell's soulscape after all. A manifestation of what laid beneath the carapace and fair skin. Whether it made his current emotional state any less confusing was kind of a complicated question though...

"And when I needed somebody to talk to, a little help to get back on my feet since they could no longer support me, what do you think was the response that I got?"

My partner pondered for a moment, clearly choosing his words carefully.

_ "Nothing good, I presume." _

I closed my eyes.

"They told me to shut up."

I felt him stiffen, then he growled in a tone that would have terrified me under any other circumstances.

_ "What?" _

"'Nobody wants to hear about your drama.' 'It's just a phase so stop wallowing like a pathetic little bitch'. 'Oh my god, move on already!'. 'Get over it'. It was the same tune day in and day out."

My hands clenched into fists, so tightly that my nails were cutting deep holes into my skin.

"No matter how many times I tried to explain, it was like talking to a brick wall. They didn't bother understanding that I wish that I could turn it off. What I would give to be able to have everything go back to the way it was before. All they want is for everything to just go back to normal so that they won't have to deal with my 'moods'." At this point, I had started to shake. "THEY DON'T FUCKING GET IT! MY WHOLE LIFE HAS GONE TO HELL! OFF COURSE THINGS AREN'T GOING TO GO BACK TO FUCKING NORMAL IN A FEW WEEKS!"

So many years of pain and anger was breaking loose and only after a while did I realize that Cell had gone quiet. The anger gave way to shame and guilt as I realized that I had basically been screaming in his ear the whole time.

"I... I'm sorry. I..."

_ "You don't have to apologize. You have been holding this in for quite some time, better to let it out now than allowing it to fester only for it to rear its ugly head later on. Besides, didn't I tell you that you could always vent in here when you needed to?" _

I settled down in the warm water, calmer than before.

"I've just become used to the fact that nobody wants to hear me out. You are the first person that has actually tried to do something other than just complaining. Which is kind of strange considering that you are...well...you."

_ "The logical part of me wants to say that I am only doing this so that you don't fall apart at the worst possible time. But...I can't deny that there is also a part of me that dislikes seeing you miserable." _

Now it was me who was a bit surprised.

"What?"

_ "You are so full of fire when we are fighting together, so full of life, that it doesn't feel right inside when your spirit gets dragged to the bottom of a tarpit like this. I just can't resist reaching out a hand to pull you up for a reason I don't fully understand. But it also feels worth it every time I feel your soul flutter." _

I was blushing like mad at this point, it was almost embarrassing who easily it was for Cell to make me feel warm and gooey inside. But it had been so long since anyone, let alone a man, had made me feel like this. It felt...kind of nice...

_ "And for that matter, you are not a weak little fish in the middle of a big scary ocean. You are a salmon, one that has been swimming against a rough current for a while. And even salmon get tired eventually. So rest, you've earned it." _

Floating in the warm water as I started to relax in earnest once the fatigue started to make itself known, I stared up into the ceiling as Cell got some directions from Guldo. Apparently, Nappa had flown ahead in order to give us some privacy.

_ "Regarding your injuries...don't lose hope. The earthlings have beans that can heal any injury, even when you are close to death. And if not that, then that Namekian that lives up in the Lookout." _

I so dearly wanted to believe him. That I would be able to live without my old wounds holding me back.

But I had to remain grounded. Hope had burned me before.

"My injuries are old though. There might not be a way to reverse them without messing them up even more."

His response was almost nonchalantly simple.

_ "Well, that's what we have the Dragon Balls for." _

I almost couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. My voice dropped to a mere whisper.

"You would be willing to summon the dragon...for me?"

A phantom sensation came over me once again, this time of a hand playfully ruffling my hair.

_ "I am already perfect. As such, I have no need for them myself. But if I am able to give you the ability to fight back, then I feel like it is worth the hassle of tracking them down." _

Warmth blossomed from within my chest at the sound of his voice and a smile graced my face as the soft sound of rolling waves lulled me off to sleep. The surface was still solid enough for me to sleep on it without the risk of drowning and it was warm enough that I felt no need for a blanket.

I felt safe, something I haven't felt in a very long time.

And I never wanted to leave...

-line-

It felt strange opening up about what laid within...

He had never seen himself as someone emotional, he preferred to think of himself as rational and logical (even if perhaps some of his earlier actions could point to the contrary).

But given that she had brought it up, he felt that he had to explain his behavior. If only to try and understand it himself.

Why does he go out of his way to comfort this broken mess of a woman?

_ I want to say that I have no other choice, but that would be a lie... _

How can he so easily ignore all the weaknesses that would have driven him mad a few years prior?

_ Because she is not weak, merely exhausted after years of fruitless struggle... _

Why does he feel the need to help her heal, even to the point of offering to use a wish for her sake?

_ Yet in my inner, I know that look in her eyes all too well. I know that feeling of having a hole straight through your soul and knowing that there is nothing that can fill it... _

Why does he feel these warm flickers of emotion whenever she is able to feel joy? Like tiny fireworks of light and color that goes off within his otherwise dark soul?

A combination of the inability to get rid of her as he would no doubt have otherwise and his slowly growing intrigue?

Or perhaps...it is something else?

He remembered from his time as an embryo that Gero's computer had lectured him about feelings, and one in particular that tended to cloud the affected's judgment and make them behave irrationally. An emotion that should be avoided and preferably eradicated as it led to foolish decisions.

_ Could he be...? _

No! Ridiculous! He was Cell! The perfect lifeform! He wasn't some soft, primal animal driven by instinct! He was supposed to be far beyond all of that! Heck, his programming wasn't supposed to allow for such an obvious design-flaw!

But there must be some reason why his feelings are so thrown off by the soul that he had grown so attached to.

There had to be!

But for now, he just wanted to enjoy her presence.

That feeling of her soul brushing against his...it was a feeling that he could never seem to get tired of...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! 
> 
> Sorry for the long gap in between the updates, but finally getting to play Xenoverse 2 (after buying a computer that can actually run it) and exploring my new drawing-tablet kind of got in the way. This chapter was also one that I rewrote numerous times, there was some ideas for a scene at the campground and the planned nightmare-segment is instead going to be in the next chapter.
> 
> With this chapter, I am expecting some comments about how Cell isn't acting in character. And you are right, he is not. But there is a reason for that.  
> Remember, Cell is not very knowledgable as far as emotions are concerned. So he would have no idea what it is like to be in love beyond what he has been told by Dr Gero's computer and what he can observe from other people. This is one of those cases where the 'oblivious lover'-troupe kind of makes sense, even if that is not the direction that I am going with him here. And I'd like to think that because Cell is an artificial being, he would experience love (especially for the first time) differently than a human would. Hence why it wouldn't manifest in the form of obsession (like Romeo and Juliet) but rather in the form of empathy.
> 
> Next time: We get some quality time with the Ginyu Force, a nightmare and a cat that escapes out of its bag!
> 
> Until next time! Have a nice day and keep on reading!


	8. Fighting as One

The sounds of muffled screams and frantic splashing woke him from his rest. His eyes flashed open, fully prepared to deal with any threat.

But once he looked around, he realized that he was no longer in the soulscape.

Or in the real world for that matter.

He stood on the surface of a massive body of water, so large that he couldn't see the end of it in any direction. And his sense of sight was only made worse by the thick fog that surrounded him on all sides. The only thing he could make out was some kind of red light on top of a large structure, ominously blinking in the distance.

He reached out for his little human's ki and received a very confusing reading. Her ki was everywhere and at the same time right next to him, blinding him to her location.

Everywhere he turned, there was nothing but fog.

Something about the area made locating her through sound almost impossible.

They would come from the east.

Then the west.

Then the north.

It kept leading him in circles. Almost tauntingly.

The screams and pleads for help grew fainter and fainter and he began to feel the rush of panic.

_ Come on! Where are you?! _

Rushing blindly through the fog, he tried to fly to see the area from above.

But for some strange reason, he wasn't able to take to the air.

There was nothing strange about the air and no overwhelming pressure anchoring him to the ground, he just couldn't lift off.

He felt like he was going to scream in frustration and as he looked down, he suddenly spotted shapes moving beneath the water.

And he smelled blood.

Her blood.

He tried to dive in, only to be met by a glass-like layer on top of the water. He tried to break through, only for his attacks to barely leave a dent.

He kept beating on it until his fists bled, yet it held firm.

_ Why isn't it working?! Why doesn't it break?! _

As he inspected the surface for anyway through it, he saw something enormous moving. Fleshy tentacles were dragging the human further and further down into the depths, grabbing her legs and lower body with such force that blood was coloring the water red.

Feeling chills down his spine, he suddenly heard whispers mixed in with the ambient noises around him.

Haunting projections of a mind that was beginning to lose hope.

_ 'You don't deserve to be saved...' _

_ 'keep sinking...' _

_ 'you are his crutch...' _

_ 'something to be cast aside...' _

_ 'he doesn't care...' _

**_ 'he hates you _ ** _ ' _

The last few words made him so angry. Furious at the malevolent specters that fed his little human lies.

Now more determined to break through than ever, he started to pound the glass once more while he shouted into the void to silence the whispers and hopefully reach the girl.

"Shut up! They know nothing about you! I may not know everything either, but I know that you don't deserve this! They are lying!"

The glass was creaking. He was making progress. He was getting to her...

"You have never been a burden for me!"

_ One crack. _

"Despite your internal wounds, even though you have ended up in this messed up situation, you still keep fighting!"

_ Ten cracks. _

"You are not weak!"

_ Hundreds of cracks. _

"And there is no one that I would rather have by my side!"

A faint glimmer of hope.

_ "...Cell?" _

CRASH!

Shards flew everywhere. Within mere moments he was shooting through the water like a torpedo and a single beam sliced through the tentacles that were keeping his human captive.

He kept the hideous creature in his sights, unable to look away.

The monster was an eldritch abomination unlike anything he could have ever imagined. Its body was a disgusting mass of features that he could barely describe; a mesmerizing yet morbid collage of flesh, limbs, eyes, and twisted faces.

The scent of blood and pained whimpers brought him out of his trance and he quickly looked down at her.

Her lower body had taken the most damage, the tentacles had ripped out chunks of flesh from her legs to the point where he could see bone. Her skin was covered in bruises and hair had been ripped from her head, torn from the roots judging by the blood that was flowing from her scalp.

He needed to get her out of her.

Fast.

The monster had recovered and was now spreading its disgusting tendrils to try and catch them.

He wasn't going to let it harm her.

Not anymore.

"Hold on!"

He tightened his grip on her as he took off towards the surface, trying to ignore the chill that was sent through his bones as the screams kept getting louder and louder.

Screams that sounded almost human.

Surrounding himself in an energy-field to protect the human in his arms, he smashed through the hard surface layer. He kept flying, not knowing how far the creature could reach.

It wasn't until the screams fell silent and they were back in the familiar world of ripples that he felt comfortable enough to relax.

And upon laying eyes on her, he was left with confusion.

She had no wounds.

None of the gruesome injuries that he had seen on her before.

It made no sense...

At least until he suddenly realized what he had experienced.

His little human had been caught in a horrendous nightmare and through the link, her fear and panic had managed to drag him inside of it.

It certainly explained why all of his attempts to locate her had failed. She had never actually left his side.

"Cell?"

He looked down at his little human who was still shivering, understandably so.

He had felt that terror. More vividly than he had ever imagined...

"Yes, woman?"

She looked down, her eyes full of shame. No doubt as a result of her helplessness.

"I am so sorry for dragging you into that mess."

He reached out and gently stroked her hair out of her face.

"You were panicking and you were fighting for your life, it is only natural that you would reach out for help. And I suspect that the link had something to do with it anyway. Don't think about it."

He leaned back and felt a wall support him from behind. The woman sat down next to him and hugged her knees to her chest.

Part of him couldn't help but pity her. Nightmares rarely came alone, and without him being there to intervene...

He couldn't imagine how much worse it might have gotten.

"Do you have them often? These nightmares I mean."

She looked up to him with an expression that gave him the answer long before her response left her lips.

"Sometimes..."

She was lowballing it. Without a doubt. Still afraid and ashamed of her weakness.

He looked over and noticed that she was trying to inch closer without him knowing.

Upon realizing that she had been discovered, she immediately recoiled. Much like a child caught with its hand in the cookie jar.

With a tired sigh, he lowered his voice to try and be as non-intimidating as possible in spite of his slight irritation over her evasiveness.

"What now?"

She absentmindedly rubbed her shoulders and somehow looked even more like a child than before. He got the feeling that she was pretty young as far as humans went, perhaps around the 20-year mark, but she was not that young.

"I...just want to hold your hand. While I sleep."

Huh? That was not what he had expected.

She really was starting to sound more and more like a kid. Maybe it was just the way she tried to deal with the trauma that was causing her these nightmares, but it was still somewhat disheartening to see her in this state.

Still a bit confounded by her request, he gave her a strange look that made her flinch and curl into an even tighter ball.

"I...I'm just afraid that I am going to sink again."

He had to admit that he felt a bit guilty over his tone, the sound of her cracking voice so close to tears was kind of upsetting to listen to.

_ And wasn't that a bizarre sensation after all the screams and sounds of terror that once followed in his wake... _

_ It didn't bother him back then. But then again, he didn't use to care back then either... _

Wishing to provide some kind of comfort, he lifted her and placed her in his lap. She let out an absolutely adorable squeak as she was picked up and he found it endearing despite the circumstances.

As she made herself comfortable in his armored embrace, she looked up at him. He put a comforting arm around her and gave a gentle squeeze.

"I won't let you sink. Not on my watch. I don't technically need to sleep anyway so I will watch over you."

A small smile crept over her lips and she slowly relaxed until she drifted off to sleep once again. As he sat there with her in his arms, a strange realization came over him.

This young woman. This tiny frail creature... was depending on him. And he was dependent on her in turn.

And somehow that realization made the weight of the body resting peacefully against his all the more pronounced...

* * *

He was eventually drawn back into the waking world by the sensation of someone shaking him. Opening his eyes, he was met by the sight of Nappa looking slightly concerned.

"You ok?"

Stretching his slightly stiff upper body, he threw a glance in the saiyan's direction.

"The human had a nightmare and as her strongest link happens to be with me, I ended up getting drawn into it."

He received a look of understanding from his comrade as the bulky saiyan sat down on a nearby rock.

"Oh. I see. That explains why she was screaming in my head…"

_ What? _

"You can hear her too?"

Nappa nodded sombrely.

"Faintly. I was hearing her in my dreams, screaming for help. I tried to get to her but I couldn't find her no matter what I did."

_ Okay. That was fascinating... if a bit concerning. _

"Maybe it depends on the strength of the link. She has been together with me for a lot longer than she has you or Frieza."

Nappa shrugged.

"I guess. Lord Frieza sure don't seem bothered at all…"

He motioned to where Frieza was sleeping on a pile of leaves, curled up with his tail laying beside him. A calm expression was visible on the emperor's face, not a single trace of concern present.

Cell scoffed, not at all surprised by Frieza being blind to the plight of the soul that was helping him.

"Of course he isn't, he would probably find it entertaining if anything given how much he loves to antagonize her. Never find the fact that she is the only way for us to fight or even move at all."

"Doesn't surprise me at all. Lord Frieza has never been one for relationships or attachments, not even strictly professional ones. The only reason he tolerates half the crap that Ginyu pulls is that the guy does get results, even if most of his posturing is completely useless as far as I am concerned."

Nappa lies back down on his makeshift bed.

"Anyway, just wanted to make sure that everything was okay. A lot of riding on her, you know. I kinda feel sorry for her if this is what she has to endure every night..."

The night soon fell mostly silent, occupied only by the sounds of nature and the occasional snore.

Now alone with his thoughts, Cell couldn't help but think back to that nightmare.

Having never experienced nightmares himself, his understanding of them was purely surface-level. But there was something deeper to it than just horrific fantasies of the brain as it compiled data.

He felt like there was a lot of contexts that he was missing.

The red light in the distance for one. Even though it was just some light-fixture going on and off, it was activating a subconscious fear-response for absolutely nonsensical reasons.

Something to look into and keep in mind for later. If only to stop it from causing her distress.

Then there was the monster itself.

There was so much about its behavior and appearance that was giving him so many terrible premonitions.

The way it suspiciously went after her lower body and hair specifically...

The human screams and malicious whispers that had originated from it...

And the human faces that were intertwined with the rest of its disgusting mass.

A human was the cause of her distress.

A human had hurt her so deeply that she had been left in this vulnerable emotional state.

There was another damning detail that he hadn't noticed during the frantic chase but was now making him shiver.

The octopus-like tentacles of the beast had been lacking suction-cups.

Instead, they had been covered in hands.

Human hands.

Sighing, he put a hand against his chest. Feeling the rhythmic heartbeats of her soul, almost in perfect sync with his own.

_ Human... what on Earth happened to you? _

* * *

Waking up with the sun's rays streaking across my face felt like such a relief after last night's horrors.

Taking control, I stretched my sore limbs and then made my way over the rest of the group.

I was happy to discover that Ginyu was up and relieved that he was being informed of recent developments by Frieza and Jeice, it meant that I wouldn't have to deal with any potential disbelief or doubt.

Ginyu then noticed that I was approaching and after being dismissed by Frieza shook my hand enthusiastically.

"Good morning, soldier! Lord Frieza has brought me up to speed and I am looking forward to working with you."

I couldn't keep the smile off my face, Ginyu's energetic demeanor was very hard to dislike.

"I am looking forward to working with you too. I have already heard so much about the Ginyu Force and the stories from Jeice has only made me even more excited."

Ginyu laughed heartily and gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Then let us eat breakfast so that we can get to the good parts. I can't wait to see what we can accomplish together."

I joined the rest by the fire and was reminded of the fact that Cell didn't actually need to eat as I didn't feel hungry at all. I was offered a fish anyway and I happily dug in, pleased to discover that it was still quite tasty even though it had no seasoning. In fact, it tasted a bit similar to mackerel.

Frieza was unusually quiet but I guess that he thought us undeserving of his smooth tones unless strictly necessary for the time being. Not that I minded, the sarcastic jabs at my ability to perform according to his ridiculous standards were something that I was more than happy to be without.

After we buried the traces of our temporary camp as I whistled a tune under my breath, I suddenly felt several energy-signatures and all of a sudden we were surrounded by a group of clones.

I gritted my teeth, I was hoping to have gotten some training done with Ginyu before the next battle but it seemed like I wasn't going to get that chance.

I jumped into the fray as the battle began, but I immediately noticed that the clones were stronger than usual. Much stronger. That in combination with their numbers was making things much harder, evidenced by the fact that I got punched so hard in the stomach that my vision blurred and I almost doubled over.

_ "Human! Don't lose focus!" _

I recovered enough to shoot a powerful ki-blast right through the clone and then used a roundhouse-kick to take the head off of another. For a while, I just got into a rhythm of punching, kicking, and parrying as the clones were slowly being taken care of.

Suddenly, a Goku-clone appeared out of thin air right in front of me, a fully charged Kamehameha ready to fire. An old memory from Cell bled into my own as my vision couldn't decide whether the gi of the Goku-clone was orange or grey.

I didn't have a chance to dodge.

KABOOM!

"Earthling!"

I barely heard Nappa cry out in concern as the roar of the blast that engulfed me drowned out everything else. I screamed in pain as I felt the beam burn against my skin. I skidded back several feet, smoking and seared along my arms. I flashed in front of the offending clone and kicked it in the chest with such strength that the clone was sent flying, only to flinch as pain emanated from my wounds.

Feeling the sharp drop in energy from taking the blast head-on, I realized that Cell couldn't go on much longer and that the waves were slowing down his recovery.

I needed to link with someone else so that Cell could recover his strength.

But Nappa was in almost as bad shape as Cell and Frieza was not interested in helping out, only occasionally firing Death Beams at the clones as a form of target-practice.

A Vegeta-clone walked forward menacingly, energy charging in its palm. I shakily got to my feet, clutching my bad arm. I saw the Big Bang Attack forming and cursed, knowing that I wouldn't be able to take it head-on and yet not having the strength to fight back.

"RECOOME KICK!"

Suddenly, a large shape barrelled into the clone and Ginyu stepped in front of me with a determined glint in his eye.

"Earthling, it is now or never. It may not be the most optical circumstances, but I need you to link with me. We have to finish this."

I nodded and within moments, I was looking through Ginyu's eyes. The rest of the Ginyu Force flanked me on both sides, all just as determined to put an end to the clones as I was.

"Alright guys, time to clean out the garbage!"

The force cheered with me as we went to work. Ginyu was incredibly agile and I pulled off some amazing maneuvers as I took apart the remaining clones. I shoulder tackled clones between me and Recoome like a crazy football player and used the Milky Cannon to blow them away.

I kicked a clone up in the air and a Crusher Ball from Jeice finished it off. A quick telepathic warning led me to duck as a large stone spike sailed over my head courtesy of Guldo and pierced the clone in front of me. Burter was dashing everywhere and was using his speed to literally punch holes into the opposition.

All the while I couldn't get the Ginyu Force theme-song out of my head.

It was kind of magical.

Me and the Ginyu Force, fighting together in sync.

Together we were making quick work of the remaining clones and we were about to celebrate our victory when I heard a Death Beam right next to my ear and I looked behind me to see a Piccolo-clone slumping down with a hole straight through his head and Frieza giving me a dry look with a mocking glint in them.

"Can you please try to pay attention?"

I rolled my eyes and ignored him as I walked over to Cell who was clearly not happy about the situation. I flinched, knowing I was to blame for his condition.

"Cell, I'm sorry."

He looked away and didn't respond, the fight having wounded more than just his body and that gesture hurt more than the Kamehameha. The mood was tense and I just wanted to sink through the ground. Ginyu tried to break the ice that had formed with a question that a part of me didn't expect and definitely didn't want to answer at the moment.

"By the way human, what was that song that was going through your head? It was really catchy!"

Distraught from Cell's rejection, the confession slipped from my mouth before I could stop myself.

"It was the Ginyu Force theme-song, from the anime."

The mood instantly shifted and everybody looked at me with varying degrees of confusion before I was bombarded with questions.

"Anime? What on Earth does that mean?"

"We had a theme-song?"

"Earthling, what is going on?"

Cell was the only one who wasn't saying anything, he had already figured out that I was from another world and was currently trying to process what I had just let slip. I wish that I had kept quiet and I was in no mood to drop that bombshell on them.

I was about to answer when an energy-signature was suddenly felt nearby, a signature that made my blood turn to ice and my stomach churn. Everyone's eyes were drawn to the source of the foul ki they were sensing that was getting closer and closer. The bushes parted way and I immediately knew who stood before us.

In spite of her unassuming appearance, complete with a pair of glasses, she couldn't hide her true nature. Her ki was a disturbing patchwork of signatures, not unlike Cell, but with this disgustingly sweet tint over it. Like a candy laced with arsenic.

This was the one who got us all into this mess. The creator of the clones, the current leader of the Red Ribbon Army and Dr. Gero's last creation.

Android 21.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hi guys!  
> Sorry for the long wait but ever since I started working full time soon to be almost one year ago I haven't had a lot of time over to write my stories. I am still writing but updates are going to come slowly.
> 
> This chapter was a straight up bitch to write; the nightmare that just kept giving me trouble, the aftermath and especially the fight-scene with the enhanced clones. The nightmare went on way longer than I anticipated but I really liked the way it turned out. I really wanted to set the scene and the mood for the confrontation that is about to arrive. Wasn't expecting that, were you?
> 
> And on a different note, I want to bring up something that I recently noticed about the fic that directly inspired this one: Teardrops. Is it just me or did the author forget that Assists are a mechanic of the game? I always thought that it was weird that there was no attempt at using this to show Frieza's character-growth. Like in the beginning he refuses to help her at all but as he grows more and more attached to her he keeps pitching in more and more until they are basically tag-teaming the opposition.
> 
> I don't know. Just throwing out a few thoughts.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy your read!


End file.
